A modular telemetry cable system such as a conventional land seismic data acquisition system includes a plurality of data acquisition array terminals which are identical and serially connected together by cables to a recording station for collecting seismic data is described in copending patent applications Ser. No. 434,293, filed, 10/14/82, entitled "Telemetry System Control" by William Fehrenkamp and Ser. No. 434,292, filed 10/14/82, entitled "Telemetry System Cable" by William Fehrenkamp and Joe P. Jameson. The recording station sends commands to the array terminals for recovering geophysical data collected by the array terminals. The system is bi-directional in order to accommodate the position of the recording station relative to the array terminals.
In seismic data acquisition systems the recording station can be located at one end or the other of the system. However, in some cases, particularly where a long seismic system is in place, it is desired that the recording location be at some interior point of the system rather than at the end of the system. To insert the recording system into the middle of a seismic system requires repositioning the cable and the addition of another length of cable which is normally about 1400 feet. This requires a laborous, time-consuming, and thus expensive procedure to either connect or remove a recording station to or from an interior point of the seismic data acquisition system.
The present invention is directed to an improved telemetry system adapter or break-in adapter which need only be attached between the cable and either connector of any array terminal. With the present adapter no cable need be removed or replaced when attaching or disconnecting the recording station from the interior of a seismic data acquisition system. In addition, the adapter is constructed so that it cannot be attached incorrectly to the array terminal or the cable.